An article at ThinkSpain says that the Spanish companies have been ranked as the worst debtors next to Italy.  Not that they do not pay, just that it takes them longer to pay than companies in other countries.

An average time frame to settle an invoice is 30 days.  In Spain however, the average time taken to settle an invoice is 67 days!  Think this is bad?  In 2008 they were taking up to 75 days to pay so they have managed to improve....

This is important for expats who are running a business or planning to start one.  While this is not a blanket rule and some will pay earlier, it is important to bear this in mind when calculating cashflow.  If you come from a country that pays in 30 days and you budget for 30 days settlements, you could find yourself in trouble at the end of the month.Tags: business, finance

If you shop at Dia Supermarkets you can take advantage of their pay-as-you-go mobile offer.  When you spend €20 or more on shopping, you automatically get €1 worth of calls free.  Their website is only in Spanish but you should be able to get information in your local store.

www.dia.es

 

 

 

Banesto is offering a free car or scooter to new customers opening an account.  Sound too good to be true?  Well obviously you need to deposit a substantial sum to qualify, but even so, it has to be the first time in Spain that a bank has made such an offer.  This is not a prize draw where you have a snowballs chance of winning - each and every customer depositing the minimum required amount will receive a vehicle.  Plus, they pay the registration tax, car tax and delivery to your nearest dealer.

Now before you get too excited and run off to your nearest branch, this is how much you have to deposit to qualify:

Mopeds	.............	Cars
18,000 euros   - Piaggio Fly 50		99,000 euros   -  Citroen C2
33,000 euros   - X7 Scooter		120,000 euros -  Citroen C3
38,000 euros   - Vespa GTS		160,000 euros -  Citroen C4

You will have to commit to a certain length of time which varies between 24 to 36 months which does not seem unreasonable.   Of course, we don´t know what the rate of interest would be that they are offering as you are led to a form you have to complete to receive more details.  As there is no such thing as a free lunch, I would not expect it to be one of the highest interest accounts, but it certainly is a good gimmick!

Find out more at www.banesto.com

 

Source:  Cincodias.com

Would you like to have a sneak preview at what is inside The Expat Survival Guide before you buy it?  If you visit Amazon.co.uk you can flip through some sample pages of the book including the table of contents or if you prefer to download a sample in PDF format you can always visit www.bookshaker.com and get a copy there.

Reading this book was like sitting down to dinner with a best friend who'd already made the move and having them explain just what you need to know and how to avoid the many pitfalls. Mrs Solo writes in a easy to read fashion and you feel that she is completely open with the reader. I cannot recommend this enough. I thought that I knew the problems awaiting my family when we make our planned move but it's given me plenty more to think about which I hope will give us a better chance of success. Thank you Yolanda Solo!

This is not your usual kind of guide to Spain and may well put you off coming to Spain!  But it is so important to be aware of what is contained in the guide to make sure that if you do come, you dreams are not shattered because you are not properly prepared.